Improved car-brake



P. KEFFEFL] Carv Brake.

No, 82.508t Y Patented oct. 2 7, 1868.

' I @M/Q4.. lZ/vzegsf Z IL I Y N.PETERS FliOTQ-UYHDGRFHER, WASHINGTON. 0.0.

. To all whom 'it concern reitiuiixi time @met 'o I .g time. e

' PETER KEFFER, or READING, PNNSYLVANSIA, AsvsiGNoR To HIM- SELF'AND E. G. FISHBURN, `OF SAME PLACE. team Patent No, 83,508. dem come 27, 186s.

IMPROVE-D CAR-BRAKE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent; and making part of the seme.

Beit known: that I, PETER KEFFER, of Reading, Berks county, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved Railroad-Gar' Brake; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, 'and enact description of the same.

"My invention consists of a yielding wedge-shaped frame, in combinationx with brake-shoes, hung to the frame of a railroad-car or truck, all substantially as described hereafter, 4so as to form ai] efficient and readily-operated brake. i

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my, invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and. operation, reference Ibeing had to the accompanyingdrawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which.-

Figure lis a side view of my improved brake, applied toa railroad-car, and f Y Eigur'eZ, the same, with the parts in a diii'erent positiou` t Afrepresents a portion of a railroad-car, b b being the wheels, and c a part of the iioor or platform. The brake-shoes, B B', are curved to conform to the shape of the wheels, and are connected together at their lower ends by'a spring, d, vwhich tends to draw them away from the wheels, and the said shoes are hung, inde.-

.pendently of each other, `to the door, c, of the cars by flat metal strips, e.

The latter are sufficiently elastic, when pressure is applied, to allow the brake-shoes to be broughtin contact with and accommodate themselves to the wheels,`

It, .is arranged to fit between the brake-'shoes B and B',

and is hung.` to a vertical rod, d, which may be operated, as hereafter described, by a lever, F, hung to the platform of the car. i

Heretofore it has been customary,especaily in the small'cars which are used for transporting minerals,to use a wedge-,shaped block, placed between the wheels of the car, and 'operated from above by a lever, or other-` wise, so as to cause lthe required amount of friction upon the wheels. The simple block, however, is not sufficiently yielding, wears rapidly away, and is liable` to.A bear against the wheels at times when no brake is requiredobj ections which I overcome by my invenon. When the partsof the brake are in the position shown in iig. 1, the shoes B B', owing to thespring-strip e e and spring d, are free from contact with the wheds; On depressing the lever F, however, as shown in 2, the frame c will be also depressed, and its blocka f', pushed apart, so as to force the sh'oes B. and B" against the wheels with a force commensurate with that exerted upon the lever F. "j l On releasing the latter, the s'pring d and elastic strips e and h will immediately cause the parts 'of the brake to-resume their former position. y This brakingeapparatuscan b'e applied with adyantage to trucks of ordinary cars,and the lever F may, if desired, be dispensed with, and other devices for operating the brake substituted, Without departing from the main features of my invention.

I .claim as my invention, and desire to secure byv Letters Patent- A railroad-car brake, consisting of a yielding wedges'haped frame, C, constructed and operating substantially as herein described, in combination with brakeshoes B and B', hung ,to the car or truck, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereor,1 have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses: PETER KEFFER.

F. R. SGHMUCKER, GEO. D. STI'rzEL. 

